The Smurfs Smurf Into China

A Smurf balloon makes its way down New York’s 7th Avenue during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

A new wave of blue-collar workers is joining the push to develop Western China: the Smurfs.

The beloved, animated blue creatures — famous for their white caps, cheery theme song, and proclivity for using the name of their race as a verb — are moving to Chengdu, where development firm Chengdu Teda Sino-Europe Construction and Smurf-brand owner IMPS plan to open a Smurf theme park, according to a report from DTZ Asia Property Market Update.

With investment of 20 million yuan, or about $2.9 million, the theme park is set to open in three to five years, according to DTZ. It’s part of a bigger plan to build tourism in Chengdu, where pandas are one of the biggest attractions.

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The Smurfs emerged in 1958 as the brain-child of Brussels-born cartoonist Pierre Culliford, more commonly known as “Peyo.” Their immediate popularity resulted in a regular cartoon strip for European audiences in 1959 and an animated movie in 1975. After 1981, when U.S.-production company Hanna-Barbera created the Emmy-winning cartoon, the Smurfs earned their status as global icons. NBC ran the series until 1989, pulling in 42% of Saturday morning TV audiences, according to Time Magazine.

The Chinese development won’t be the first theme park for the blue imps. The Big Bang Schtroumpf (French for Smurf) opened in France in 1989, though due to lackluster attendance it closed after two seasons. The park later reopened under different ownership, yet, to avoid shuttering the park, it shoved the Smurfs and their high licensing fees out in 2003.

So why build a Smurf attraction in China?

If this were a few decades ago, the answer might be politics. After all, in certain circles, it is believed that the Smurfs were a Communist plot. What better fit than Maoist China would there for a beings who wear the same clothing, live in a cooperative, and contentedly work for a common goal under the authoritarian leadership of a man whose white beard bears a striking resemblance to that of Karl Marx.

These days, the more likely answer is commerce. Since their 50th anniversary in 2008, the Smurfs have been singing their way back into the markets, and Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation plan to release a hybrid live-action, animated Smurf movie next year, starring Neil Patrick Harris and Katy Perry. Toy manufacturer Jakks Pacific Inc. is selling plush Smurf toys and DVDs. A Smurfette line of lipsticks and eye shadows went on sale last year at cosmetic retailer Sephora.

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